Archaeology

Christopher Henshilwood (in Blombos Cave) dug at one of the most important early human sites partly out of proximity—it’s on his grandfather’s property.

The Great Human Migration

Why humans left their African homeland 80,000 years ago to colonize the world

Fakes are an all too real part of the museum world. “There are always artists capable of making and selling things that seem old,” says anthropologist Jane MacLaren Walsh.

Why the Smithsonian Has a Fake Crystal Skull

The Natural History Museum's quartz cranium highlights the epic silliness of the new Indiana Jones movie

Brontosaurus skeleton sketch

Where Dinosaurs Roamed

Footprints at one of the nation's oldest—and most fought over—fossil beds offer new clues to how the behemoths lived

Acropolis Museum in Athens

Acropolis Now

A modern museum of ancient Greece rises near the Parthenon

The Parthenon, said the 19th-century French engineer Auguste Choisy, represents "the supreme effort of genius in pursuit of beauty."

Unlocking Mysteries of the Parthenon

Restoration of the 2,500-year-old temple is yielding new insights into the engineering feats of the golden age's master builders

Martin Rundkvist

500-Year-Old Sword Gets a Facelift

What became of the settlement that Christopher Columbus' crew built after his flagship ran aground? Clark Moore (in Haiti near the Bay of L'Acul, where the <em>Santa Maria</em> is believed to have foundered) is on the trail: "We know Columbus built the fort inside a large Indian village."

The Lost Fort of Columbus

On his voyage to the Americas in 1492, the explorer built a small fort somewhere in the Caribbean

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Taking a Dinosaur's Temperature

Polar species heat up one of paleontology's great debates

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The Strange Lives of Polar Dinosaurs

How did they endure months of perpetual cold and dark?

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Bones to Pick

Paleontologist William Hammer hunts dinosaur fossils in the Antarctic

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Digging up Egypt's Treasures

The ten most significant discoveries in the past 20 years

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Unearthing Egypt's Greatest Temple

Discovering the grandeur of the monument built 3,400 years ago

A field crew in Kenya excavates a Homo erectus skull.

Head Case

Two fossils found in Kenya raise evolutionary questions

Researchers collect core samples in 2001. During drilling operations, several anchors placed by divers secured the boat to the sea floor.

Underwater World

New evidence reveals a city beneath ancient Alexandria

Archaeologists have modeled Rome in three dimensions, and users can "fly" through the ancient city's winding streets, broad plazas, forums—even the Coliseum.

Rome Reborn

Archaeologists unveil a 3-D model of the great city circa A.D. 400

Julius Caesar, the emperors Augustus and Tiberius and the statesman-philosopher Cicero all had homes in Stabiae.

Ancient Rome's Forgotten Paradise

Stabiae's seaside villas will soon be resurrected in one of the largest archaeological projects in Europe since World War II

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Passing Notes

Zhou Daguan, part of a group of diplomats from China that lived in Angkor from 1296 to 1297, recorded his thoughts on the area

"It's a plastered skull!" shouted anthropologist Basak Boz (with the artifact). To researchers, who have documented more than 400 human burials at Catalhoyuk, the find is evidence of a prehistoric artistic and spiritual awakening.

The Seeds of Civilization

Why did humans first turn from nomadic wandering to villages and togetherness? The answer may lie in a 9,500-year-old settlement in central Turkey

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Smithsonian Perspectives

In the Smithsonian's long history of studying cultures, we've learned to help people represent themselves

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